Dumb Blonde Strikes Again

I picked up Pillars Of the Earth this morning to begin reading. Mmm these illustrations look familiar I thought. Hmmm the plot sounds just like a book I read a few months ago... Yep you guessed it, I've read the book a little while ago and forgot to tick it off my list. In the words of Homer Simpson - doh!

A Town Like Alice - BBC Top 100 Reads (80/100)

I can't remember the last time I read a book with such enthusiasm as this one. From the opening paragraph I was hooked and loved how the story weaved in and out of present and past. It's also not very often that a book surprises me with a changing plot, but this one did. I enjoyed this so much I've ordered the film on Love Film, although according to the reviews, the book is much better. Onto The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett next, with any luck I may just finish this task by July/August.

The Library

Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I decided to try and get as much as I can completed on the BBC Top 100 list. I've currently just finished 79/100 and having just about exhausted our local library's supply of the list, decided to order a steady stream of books on line. Of course nothing in life is simple. I ordered the Lord Of The Rings in three parts and of course the last book came first. I went up to the local library yesterday to pick up my ordered books, only to find that the whole place had gone self service and you now had to use an ATM to get the books in and out. Talk about making things harder than they need to be!

Anyways I'm currently enjoying A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute and hopefully should get this finished within the next couple of days. Then onto The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett and hopefully by the time that I've finished those, The Fellowship Of The Ring may have turned up. Here's hoping...

Like Bees To Honey by Caroline Smailes

The fabulous Caroline Smailes, has another fabulous book out next week and you lucky devils can grab an early showing by following this amazing blog tour. Below I am hosting Chapter 26, with the next chapter being hosted at www.beinglucydiamond.blogspot.com.

If you wish to follow the tour from the beginning then start here www.carolinesmailes.co.uk/blog

Open publication - Free publishing

The Reason Why...

Much has been said about me completing the BBC Top 100 reads, especially when I spend a large chunk of my time complaining how tiresome it gets to try and complete a novel you don't really like or enjoy. However it is worth trawling through the rubbish to catch the occasional gem that otherwise I would not have even considered. The Stand by Stephen King was one such book. It weighs in at a hefty 1325 pages and took me forever to get started, but once I did I was hooked. Its a tale of how a government experiment of creating a virus is accidentally released into the outside world with devastating consequences. More sci-fi than horror, although the many characters at the outset of the novel are a little confusing, the storyline soon calms down to reflect a select few that have to use every skill they've ever learnt to survive. If you read one book this summer than read this one.

Election Free Zone

Well another radio appearance came and went so quickly. Appearance went fine and I managed to find three stories that at least didn't mention the election that happened only the previous day. The BBC was the busiest that I had ever seen it, with most of the presenters having worked for most of the night and then having to do their day job. Not sure when my next appearance will be, but I'm hoping it won't be for another month to at least give me chance to complete a few more tasks.

Motivation is the key, I guess, to get this list completed and I feel that I at least have some of that back for the time being, so best get on with things. Hope to report on completing another task soon!

I'm Still Here...

Well it's been a month of highs and lows since I last blogged. No sooner had we eventually moved to our new house, then I found out I was short listed to be made redundant, something which has sent me on a bit of a roller coaster ride. Some days I'm fine about it, others are really dark days when I can't quite get used to the concept that for the first time since I left school at 16, I will be out of work.

I've been thinking about my list an awful lot in the last month. Unfortunately other things have taken precedent over me completing anything, but I've been chipping away slowly but surely - update as follows:-

1) Chess - just need a few more games under my belt and then I can sign this one off (a chappie at work is going to teach me in his lunch hour, he just doesn't know it yet!)

2) BBC Top 100 Reads - currently reading Stephen King's The Stand which will make it 79 read once completed.

3) Rescue an animal from captivity - currently writing letters for various Born Free Projects including 'Free The Berlin Bears' (you can add your support by joining the Facebook group 'liberate the Berlin Bears') and 'Free Lucy', an elephant kept alone at Valley zoo in Canada (again you can add your support by going onto the zoo check website 'www.savelucy.ca/take-action-for-lucy). If any of these animals are successful rehoused then I will consider this task complete.

4) Create a short film to go onto You Tube - just need to get to grips with the basics of our very small camcorder and then go round to my friend, Phil's house for a coffee, few ginger nuts, oh and to film him of course.

5) Learn a new language - have a Learn French kit which I need to find out if it's compatible to my PC, if not then I'll purchase one and once I've finished it, will consider this task complete.

So now I can see all that in black and white, I don't feel so bad about me not actually completing anything, although it would be nice to get a few more completed, as time is ticking on and this chappie is now snapping at my heels http://grahamettridge-40thingstobeforeim40.blogspot.com. Not only is he (marginally) younger than me, he's also got some really cool things to do on his list, so go check him out.

And last but not least, I'm on BBC Radio Nottingham again this Friday - roughly around 8:30am, for all of you early risers!

Until we meet again...